Welcome to ECB's weekly sermon podcast. ECB is
an international church in Bangkok, Thailand,
with dozens of nationalities worshiping together.
We invite you to connect with us from wherever
you are through our website, ecb .asia, or our
mobile app. And now we pray that you are blessed
by this week's sermon. There are so many types
and kinds of peace, you know. there's this greeting
in traditional shalom and peace, and all these
from the scriptures that you can find. I am a
firm believer of the saying, and you're familiar
with this, happy wife, happy life, everlasting
peace. Have you heard of that? I practice that.
And there's an extension to that, awesome food
for supper. Well, you didn't get that anyway.
There is this famous greeting or understanding
of the kind of peace in Scripture. And this is
the series that we are following here at ECB,
the Advent series of peace on earth. Now, this
concept, this idea was taken from the Gospel
of Luke. From the Gospel of Luke, and this was
the message of the angel to the shepherds, peace
on earth. And eventually that became famous and
it was handed and passed on to us by tradition.
Our study then, because this was the topic that
was asked of me to discuss and share with you
about the peace of God. It will come from Luke
chapter 2. Verses 1 to 20. So just bear with
me as I share with you this concept of peace.
Specifically from Luke chapter 2. Now this is
a picture that I took when Jesus was born. Somewhere
in... Well, anyway, this is just a greeting card,
okay? You're very familiar with this. But there
are certain things I'd like for you to notice.
Of course, the big theme of peace on earth. And
in the middle is a silhouette of presumably Joseph
and Mary and the baby Jesus in a manger made
of wood and hay, right? Again, like I said, this
concept in itself was from the Christmas story
in the Gospel of Luke. However, you find also
the star, which was the sign that led the wise
men to find the Messiah that was born in Bethlehem.
And this was from the Gospel of Matthew. So what
we find here, what we have here is the combination
of two Christmas stories. One from Luke and the
other one is from the Gospel of Matthew. The
moment you combine two stories into one, okay?
The moment you take one story from one book and
then another story from another book. And then
come up with a teaching that this is what God
is trying to tell us. You have actually done
a methodology. You conducted a method that is
called a canonical method. Let me explain this
further. How many of us here still reads your
Bible? You read the Bible? You do? Really? You
actually read it? I come from a generation where
I say, I used to say, open your Bibles, please,
to the Gospel of Matthew. Nowadays, you don't
do that. You say, you turn on your phones and
turn it to the Gospel of Luke. You don't open
Bible. Do you still bring Bibles with you? Really?
Wow. Now, they will get to heaven first. You
know that. So, for those of you, make sure you
still have your book Bibles with you. The moment
you open your Bibles and start reading, whether
you are aware of it or not, you are engaged in
an interpretation method. You cannot get away
with it. The only issue is that you're probably
not aware that you are employing a method. And
that is what you call, this is the most common
one in churches with pastors and teachers. Most
common one is what you call the canonical method,
which came from the concept of or the word canon,
meaning the whole canon of the Bible. The Bible
is God's word. That's why we can take from one
book and explain another book and combine them
together in that this is what God wants us to
learn. How many books of the Bible do we have?
Very good. Surprised. Okay. How many books do
the Catholics have in their Bibles? Just a little
bit. 72. That means they are more blessed than
us. You know that. How many books do the Orthodox
Church have? Oh, come on. You should know this.
88. They're even far blessed than us. But the
reason why we have these books is because they
have canonized it. And groups of leaders during
those days, they canonized these books. For us,
it's only the 66 books. So when we open, I did
not bring my Bible with me. I will still get
to heaven, you know that. But far, probably later.
Anyway, when you open, when you turn on your
Bibles, you ask, Lord, what do you want me to
learn today or this morning? If you do your Bible
reading in the morning. You don't ask the authors
of the books. We ask the ultimate author. And
that is called canonical method. If I'm studying
a text, and then I take... another passage from
another book to explain the text that I'm studying.
I just did the canonical method because I believe
the Bible is authored by God himself. Is that
clear enough? Bless you, whoever that is. That's
clear. So that's what you do. That is what we
commonly do when you study the Bible. And this
is what happened here. They combine the two stories
of Christmas, the Christmas stories in one picture.
The other one, the star, is from the Gospel of
Matthew. This concept of the manger and the couple
is from the Gospel of Luke. Did you know that
in the Gospel of Matthew, the message of the
birth of the Messiah is that He comes to cleanse
us from all our sins? But in the Gospel of Luke,
the Messiah comes because God has now imparted
peace on earth. That's the message in the Gospel
of Luke. I'd like to explain that further as
I go. Now, there is another method that focuses
on what God wants us to learn, but it goes through
a specific author. himself to man. He did not
simply write his message on golden tablets and
then dropped it on earth for man to receive it.
No, he didn't do it that way. What he did, through
centuries and ages and years, he revealed himself
to man through specific authors. And then these
authors, through the guidance and inspiration
of the Holy Spirit, they wrote The revelation
of God. However, well, I feel that I'm in my
classroom today. I'll give you an exam later
on, okay? However, and we'll know who'll get
to heaven, too. When the author wrote God's revelation,
They wrote it according to their own style of
writing and their own abilities to write and
their own language that they were using. According
to the context of their cultures and the political
situation and religious situation, they have
their own styles of writing. And part of that
style of writing or that writing itself has specific
intentions. It may not necessarily be the...
ultimate intention of god the ultimate intention
of god was to reveal himself but when he reveals
he revealed himself it went through the writing
of the authors so when you other than doing canonical
method there is another method that will ask
god what do you want for me to learn today through
this book through this author and that is what
you call narrative where is that that is what
you call Narrative criticism. And this is the
method that I would like for us to use, even
for just today. Bear with me. I know after this
you will no longer see me. It's okay. Just for
the moment, I want us to use the narrative critical
method, focusing simply on the text of Luke,
and ask Luke, what was the intention of Luke
when he wrote the Christmas? Why are we doing
this? It's because we want to understand from
the understanding, from the mind of Luke, what
did he mean when he said that the angels, and
the angels said to the shepherds, peace on earth.
What kind of peace was he talking about? And
believe me, this is the kind of peace that you
would want to have. Because it's not just the
peace that you use when you greet some people.
This is the kind of peace that God decided to
bring and give mankind for the salvation of the
people he favors. This is the kind of peace that
we would want to have when we are now trying
to remember the Christmas story. So, are you
okay with this? You still love me for this? Say,
please say yes. Please say yes. Yes, good. Narrative
criticism. This will be the method that we're
going to use. Then let's begin. When you're studying
a narrative, and by the way, the Bible is 80
to 85 % narrative. Okay? So that means you need
to study narrative method because it's almost
all of the Bible. If you want to ask the question,
what is the author trying to say? So when an
author writes a story, writes especially a narrative
setting, you need to pay particular attention
to the setting of the narrative. The setting
will dictate the major content of the story.
If you simply look at the middle of the story,
forgetting the setting that he has set, the author
has set, then you will be misled to the intention
of the author. So the setting is very crucial
when the author is telling a story. So what is
the setting in Luke chapter 2? Now again, we're
studying, Christmas is just around the corner.
I want you to understand that when Christmas
comes, you will begin to see, hey, this is the
message of Christmas in the Gospel of Luke. And
you will start by establishing the setting of
the story. What is it? Well, it goes like this.
It starts in chapter 2, verses 1 to 20, but let
me start with verses 1 to 3. It says here, in
those days, Caesar Augustus issued a decree that
a census should be taken of the entire Roman
world. This is Luke talking, okay? Through God.
I mean, God, through Luke, Luke writing down
what he was receiving from God through the Holy
Spirit. This was the first census that took place
while Quirinius was governor of Syria. And everyone
went to their own town to register. How many
of us have read this before? You have, you have.
Merry Christmas. There are so many teachings,
so many scholars and teachers. and even pastors
in churches, who believe, they believe that the
function of these three verses is to serve as
a timestamp of the birth of Christ. In other
words, the birth of Jesus, the birth of the Messiah,
happened during this time. Okay? It's sorts of
like, and the reason, the main reason why they
say that, it's because... it proves that the
birth of Jesus, birth of the baby Jesus, birth
of the Messiah, was or is historical or was historical
because of this. Well, let me make another suggestion.
I think there's more than just a timestamp or
dating of the event that is going on here. I
think verse 2 is a timestamp. That's why it's
also in parentheses. This was the first census
that took place while Quirinius was governor
of Syria. What is it time stamping for if there's
such a term? It is saying that the order of Caesar
Augustus happened during the time when Quirinius
was governor of Syria. So you may be asking yourselves
right now, then if verse 2 is the time stamp,
what is the purpose of verse 1? Well, this is
the setting on the very reason why Joseph had
to drag Mary with her to Bethlehem. In the Gospel
of Matthew, the reason why Joseph had to go to
Bethlehem was to fulfill the prophecy that the
Messiah will be born in Bethlehem. In the Gospel
of Luke, it is not. The text doesn't say that.
Luke doesn't say that. In the Gospel of Luke,
the reason why... Joseph and Mary had to go to
Bethlehem was because of this guy, Caesar Augustus,
who ordered a decree for everyone. Look at verse
3. And everyone, for everyone to go to their
birthplaces and register. Register for what?
Probably for tax purposes. Some people suggest
that. Regardless of the reason why they had to
go there, everyone should go there. No exemptions.
If not, you're in trouble. That's the law. Did
you know that the Greek word for decree is dogma?
It is the dogma that is the rule, the order of
the Roman Emperor with countries under the Roman
Empire. No exemptions, everyone. That means if
you are under and all of Israel should obey,
you should go and register because of the order.
So that's the difference between Matthew and
Luke. Are you following me? You're okay? If somebody's
dozing off, can you please? Greet him and say,
peace be with you. You can do that again. But
this time don't smile. Peace be with you. So
that's the setting. This is what Luke wanted
you to understand. He's going to tell the story.
He started with this setting. There was an order.
Now, this is Caesar Augustus. This is the house
of Caesar. All of the emperors during that time
were named Caesar. And this time it was Caesar
Augustus. gave a decree. He handed the law. Everyone
should go and be registered. Now, there are only,
and this is not good. You know why? There are
only three occasions in the Gospel of Luke where
the house of Caesar is mentioned. Only three.
And believe me, all of them are not good. Let
me give you the third one first. The third one.
There you go. Okay. The third one is found in
Luke chapter 20, verses 19 to 26. It says here,
just observe how the author is trying to lay
down the setting of another story. He says, the
teachers of the law and the chief priests looked
for a way to arrest Jesus immediately because
they knew he had spoken this parable against
them. But they were afraid of the people. The
people were behind Jesus and the religious leaders
were actually being attacked by Jesus through
his illustrations, the parable. And so, keeping
a close watch on him, they sent spies who pretended
to be sincere. They hoped to catch Jesus in something
he said so that they might hand him over to the...
Power and authority of the governor. In other
words, the religious leaders were trying to set
a trap. That's the setting, okay? They were trying
to set a trap on Jesus so that they will have
a cause for him to be arrested or to be handed
over to the authorities. So what happened? You're
familiar with this. So the spies questioned him.
Teacher, we know that you speak and teach what
is right. And that you do not show partiality,
but teach the way of God in accordance with the
truth. Is it right for us to pay taxes to Caesar
or not? You're familiar with this story, right?
How many of you here pay your taxes? How many
of you here pay your taxes to Caesar? Of course,
that's different now. But that is the setting
of the story. They wanted to trap Jesus. So what
did Jesus say? He saw, I mean, this is Luke speaking.
He said, he saw through, I mean, through Jesus,
he saw through their duplicity and said to them,
show me a denarius whose image and inscription
are on it. Caesar's, they replied. He said to
them, then give back to Caesar what is Caesar's
and to God what is God's. They were unable to
trap him in what he had said there in public.
And astonished by his answer, they became silent.
In other words, Jesus was successful in escaping
the trap. Now, the reason why I'm emphasizing,
I don't have time to teach on this. This will
be on a different occasion if I get to teach
this text. Jesus was not starting or teaching
a theology on paying taxes. I'm quite surprised
that there are some people, some churches who
actually use this passage to justify that we
should pay our taxes and then we should also
give what is God's. That is not what Jesus was
trying to do. He was not starting a teaching
about what to do with your money. No. Don't forget
the setting. The setting is they were trying
to set a trap. And Jesus successfully escaped
the trap. because of his wisdom and his abilities
and knowing the hypocrisy of the religious leaders.
But what is crucial here is the setting. The
setting showed us that the point of the story
is not about paying taxes to Caesar. There are
other passages that you could use, like, for
example, submit to the authorities and those
things that you can use in teaching that practice.
But in this case, The setting is very important.
But what I'd like to point out in this story
is that the picture of the house of Caesar is
that good. It is a picture, it is a rule of oppression.
A rule of injustice. A rule of forcing people
that were conquered by their conquerors. That
you have to pay taxes to our foreign conquerors.
That's the picture of the house of Caesar here.
The second occasion by which the house of Caesar
is mentioned is in Luke chapter 3, verses 1 to
3. Just follow with me, bear with me. It says
here, in the 15th year of the reign of Tiberius
Caesar, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea,
Herod, tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip,
tetrarch of Etyria and Trichonis, and Lysanias,
tetrarch of Abilene. I was telling the first
service. I brought with me the wrong glasses.
So, I think it's best to look here. Now, these
are the leaders of the government during that
time by the Roman Empire. Tetrarch means sort
of like a mayor. And then, verse 2. During the
high priesthood. Now, the religious leaders who
were puppet leaders by the Roman Empire. It says
here, during the high priesthood of Annas and
Caiaphas. The word of God came to John, son of
Zechariah, in the wilderness. He went into all
the country around Jordan, preaching a baptism
of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. Now,
there are some teachings who would say, this
is a timestamp. It is saying that this was the
time when John the Baptist preached the baptism
of repentance and forgiveness. I don't think
so. I think this is more than just a timestamp.
Can you imagine enumerating all of the leaders
of the government during those days and all of
the religious leaders under the Roman emperor
during those days? And immediately after that,
the text says, God sent John the Baptist to go
out and preach the baptism of repentance and
forgiveness. Why? Because these leaders, especially
the house of Caesar, is oppressive and corrupt.
That is basically what the text is saying. So
that when you go back to Luke chapter 1, the
mention of Caesar Augustus, that was not simply
a time stamp. It is indicating the kind of timing
where God had to intervene this time because
he has seen the oppression that his people, his
children have been going through because of Caesar,
the house of Caesar. This time, order the decree.
You go and you register because I ordered you.
That was my decree. A very oppressive government.
If you're familiar with the term Pax Romana,
which is in Latin, this is the peace of Rome.
Indeed, during the highest... At the height of
the reign of Rome, peace was all over the Roman
Empire. Why? It was not peace conducted or ruled
with love. It was the kind of peace that they
achieved because of an iron fist and the oppressive
rule of government. It was during the time when
Caesar issued a decree that God said, it's time
for me to intervene. They thought that the Roman
Empire was in control. It was time for God to
say, enough is enough. I will take control. That
is the setting that the author was trying to
say. Now, what do you see here? I see men. Are
you familiar with the phrase, I see dead people?
No, it came from that movie. Six cents. But when
I was thinking about this, I see men, but they're
not dead. I see unhappy men. I see busy men.
And I see men who are rushing. Now, this was
a picture taken in India during the deadlines
of paying taxes. And the reason why I'm sharing
this with you is that... I want you to picture
in your mind Joseph dragging his fiancée, who,
by the way, was nine months pregnant, to go to
a place which he didn't like to go in the first
place because he was ordered to. Can you imagine
how inconvenient that is? With a fiancée that
I should be, if I were Joseph, I should be focusing
on our marriage. But I have to do this. I have
to take you with me. And you're big now. That
was tough. I don't know how many luggages they
had to bring with them. I travel a lot because
of my work. I teach from here and I teach there.
When I travel, I travel lightly. I only take
with me one suitcase, which is that I can put
in the cabin. But when my wife travels with me,
it's a different story. I have to carry three.
She needs at least three luggages. But what I'm
trying to say is the inconvenience sometimes
that Joseph had to face because of the decree.
A decree that many of the people in Israel resented.
And this is what is going on in these days. Don't
forget the setting. So the first act, what happened?
The need to register. It says here, so Joseph
also went up from the town of Nazareth. went
up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea,
to Bethlehem, the town of David. Why did he need
to go to Bethlehem? Not because it was prophesied,
but because it was where his lineage come from.
Because he belonged to the house and line of
David. He went there to register with Mary, who
was pledged to be married to him and was expecting
a child. You see, that... The verse could have
simply stopped at who was pledged to be married
with him. But they had to indicate, the author
had to include the phrase, and was expecting
a child. Because, I mean, for you to be able,
the readers to be able to get a picture in their
mind of how difficult the situation was. And
then it goes on to say, while they were there,
the time came for the baby to be born. I don't
think... Joseph, this is just my reading of the
text. I don't think Joseph thought of that. Probably
he thought that, okay, I'll just do this. And
hopefully once it's done, we can go back to Galilee
or yeah, to where, yeah, in Nazareth. What happened
probably because of delay. And so picture in
your mind, everyone going to their own hometowns,
the need to register and those places were packed.
Now Joseph and Mary were not going for a holiday.
It was not Thanksgiving. It was not the time
to visit family. They didn't even register, stayed
with family. They were there to register because
of the decree. And so they went there and probably
it took so much time before they could accomplish
or he could accomplish what he needed to do.
And the baby was born. And the text says, And
she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped
him in cloths and placed him in a manger because
there was no guest room available for them. Now,
I'd like to just emphasize this. This verse is
not saying or is not communicating humility.
The text doesn't say that. That Jesus and his
family were of humble beginnings because the
baby was born in a manger. The text doesn't say
that. The reason, and it's clear, the reason
why the baby was born and placed in a manger
was because of the situation that needed or that
compelled them to do because there was no more
room to place the baby in. That's the reason.
It's not about humility. It's not about poverty.
It's about the difficult situation they were
in. So what happened? Now, Luke takes us to a
second act. This time, the primary characters
and their conversation. If you notice, in the
first act, Mary, Joseph, and the baby were not
talking. They did not speak. Because they were
not primary characters. Probably this is hard
for some to take. What? I mean, they were the
first family. They were the holy family. True.
But when the author was writing this, he was
not saying that you focus yourselves on the family.
He was saying that you need to focus on the people
who are talking. In Hollywood, if you do research,
Actors and actresses are paid on how famous they
are and also how many lines they are about to
speak. So I read this about Arnold Schwarzenegger
when he first accepted his character in The Terminator.
And he only spoke a few lines and he was only
paid a few because of that. And his famous line,
I'll be back, which became famous. I don't know
how much he got paid for that. But in narrative
setting, the characters who are talking, you
need to pay particular attention to that under
the framework of the setting. Because those characters
who are speaking bear the message of the whole
story. And in this case, it's the conversation
between the angel and the shepherds. So it says
here, and there were shepherds living out in
the fields nearby. keeping watch over their flocks
at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them,
and the glory of the Lord shone around him, and
they were terrified. Now I can understand, how
many of us here have seen an angel? In the Old
Testament, every time an angel appears to somebody,
It's expected. You will be terrified. Because
every time they appear to you, that means you're
in trouble. It's true. There's bad news that
they are carrying because of your disobedience
against Yahweh. Now, in this case, they were
terrified. And that's why the angel said, don't
be afraid. Don't be afraid. Later on, he says
that. Now, there's this question that somebody
asked me. What is so special about the shepherds
that they were chosen to be the first ones to
receive the good news that the Messiah has been
born? Because there were some teachings that
are going around that says that, oh, because
shepherds are liars. And shepherds, they hallucinate
a lot. And this is the time for them that they
will be able to redeem themselves. The text doesn't
say that. The reason why they were the ones who
received the blessing of the news that the Messiah
had been born? The text already says it. Because
they were the ones out in the field looking after
their flock. Where were the other people? In
their homes, getting ready for the registry.
The others were there. And it so happened that
the shepherds were there. And then suddenly,
an angel appeared towards them. And this angel
said, it says here in the next verse. But the
angel said to them, do not be afraid. I bring
you good news. Good news that will cause great
joy for the people. What good news? What great
joy? Don't forget the context. Don't forget the
setting. It has something to do with the life
that they were living against an oppressive government.
And God has had enough. This has got to stop.
This evil world needs to stop. I bring you great
joy for all the people. And then today, today
in the town of David, the Savior has been born
to you. He is the Messiah, the Lord. This will
be a sign to you. You will find a baby wrapped
in cloths and lying in a manger. I've taught
this so many times. I've written articles on
this. And even until now, every time I get to
this verse, it gives me the goosebumps and I
get so emotional because... What God did was
use Caesar's decree against him. When you can
see that people were rushing to finish things
that they didn't even want to do. And that was
the reason why the baby was placed in a manger.
And then the angel said, you know how you will
find the Messiah? Look for a baby, the only babies
among other babies in Bethlehem. Look for a baby
wrapped in cloths and is placed in a manger.
You will only find one. This is God saying, it's
time to intervene. It's my time. It's my peace.
It is the peace of God against the peace of Rome.
This is a picture of an ancient manger carved
out of rock. This is most likely how the baby
was placed during that time. Not the kind of
picture that we see in greeting cards where it's
made of wood and hay. I don't think that will
survive. I've worked in a farm, in a piggery
before. And when we feed the pigs, we feed them
in a concrete trough like this. Believe me, they
are so aggressive. Even the concrete manger or
trough like this will not survive. You will have
to repair it as years go by. But this is most
likely how it looked like. And this was the sign
that the shepherds were looking for. Suddenly,
a great company of the heavenly host. appeared
with the angel, praising God and saying, Glory
to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace
to those on whom his favor rests. This Luke had
to write because he wants us to understand something.
I don't think God ordered the angels to sing.
I don't think God said to the angels, Okay, you
rehearse. So that when you give this news, you
will sing together and you will praise me. No.
I think, this is my suggestion. I think the angels
themselves couldn't contain the power and the
greatness of God's decision to intervene in man's
history. That they themselves said... Glory to
God in the highest heaven. Because they have
seen the suffering of God's children. And they
have seen the greatness and majesty of God. And
they said, glory to you. Glory to God in the
highest heaven. And then the rest of the angels
in heaven were singing and praising him. Because
that is how great he is. Because that is how
powerful. And later on you will see how painful
for him. to send His only Son, so that you will
no longer be oppressed. You will have the peace
of God. The response, the third act, takes us
to another scene. What happened? When the angels
had left them and gone into heaven, The shepherds
said to one another, let's stay here. We're just
hallucinating. No. Look at how they responded.
Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that
has happened, which the Lord has told us about.
So they hurried off. They hurried off as fast
as they could and found Mary and Joseph and the
baby who was lying in the manger. The sign. In
the Gospel of Matthew, the wise men were looking
for the star to see and find the Messiah. In
the Gospel of Luke, they were looking for a manger.
And the moment they saw it, among all other babies,
there was somebody, just one, that is the Messiah.
What happened then? When they had seen him, they
spread the word concerning what had been laid.
They told them. They spread the word. They did
keep it to themselves. about this child. And
all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds
said to them. That's evangelism to you. But Mary
treasured up all these things and pondered them
in their heart. Luke is preparing this story
and Mary to the second, the next story, which
is Jesus getting lost in the temple. The shepherds
returned glorifying, praising God for all the
things they had heard and seen. which were just
as they had been told. Peace was completed. But
the angels did not say to the shepherds, hey,
you know, this is what is going to cost God the
Father. He didn't say that. Now look at, let
me just show you something. What do you see?
I see most likely, this one I see a dead person,
wrapped in linen cloth. And placed in a rock,
a tomb rock or a rock tomb. Look at how Luke
described it at the end of his, almost at the
end of his gospel. In Luke 22, 52 to 53, going
to Pilate, Joseph of Arimathea. He asked for
Jesus' body. Then he took it down, wrapped it
in linen cloth. That sounds familiar. And placed
it in a tomb cut out, cut in the rock. one in
which no one had yet been laid. Do you know why
the author included the last phrase, one in which
no one had yet been laid? As the manger was going
to be the sign for the shepherds that you will
find the Messiah. The phrase, one in which no
one had yet been laid, is the sign for the disciples
to see that Jesus truly resurrected, bodily resurrection.
Can you imagine if the disciples rushed to the
tomb and they found other bodies there? How can
you prove the empty tomb if it was not empty?
This has to be stated by the author himself because
he is talking to you that the birth of the Messiah
was not just about the Christmas story where
the baby has been born. It's also about the fact
that God, Jesus himself, died on the cross, gave
his life. was placed in the tomb, wrapped in
linen cloth, and resurrected for you. And that's
why you have an empty tomb. Peace to those on
whom His favor rests. This is what you find in
the Gospel of Luke, in the Christmas story from
the NIV version. Now there's another version,
peace... on earth and goodwill to all men. Well,
let me just clarify this before I end. That phrase,
peace and goodwill are given to everyone or to
all mankind, is taken from the King James Version.
And the word for goodwill is eudokia, which is
in the nominative form. And throughout the years,
when the King James was produced, this was what
has been transmitted to us by tradition. The
problem with this translation is that the manuscripts
that the King James Version used or available
at that time were much later manuscripts, meaning
weaker manuscripts. When the NIV was produced
and the other modern versions, there were more
reliable manuscripts which were discovered. And
they found out that in the Gospel of Luke, it's
not eudokia, not the nominative form, but rather
the genitive form, eudokias. if you're going
to translate it, it's in the genitive form, peace
to those whom God favors or peace among those
with whom he is pleased. Now, why is this crucial?
It is crucial because you will find that as much
as God has given peace to peace on earth, it
is not readily given to everyone. It is available
for those in whom his favor rests. In other words,
it demands a response from those who wants to
receive God's favor. And you know what I'm talking
about. If you want to have the peace of God,
you need to respond to His gift. And how do we
do that? Well, from the Gospel of Luke, we will
find in the context of chapter 2, verses 1 to
20, receive God's message. This is what the shepherds
did. They received God's message. They sought
and believed the Messiah when they found him
on a manger. Praised, glorified, and declared
who he is in our hearts and lives. And then,
of course, you spread the message, which the
shepherds did. Merry Christmas. Bow your heads
with me, please. Lord Jesus, thank you for the
ultimate sacrifice, your ultimate sacrifice on
the cross. This Christmas is not simply about
gift giving or a time for reunion. But the fact
that peace is among us. The peace of God is with
us. We want, Lord God, to receive your peace.
And we will declare your goodness and your greatness.
May your name, Lord God, be glorified in our
lives. We pray, Lord Jesus. that when that time
comes that we will be with you. We have done
our part. We spread the good news that Jesus
is Lord and Savior. Thank you, Lord God, for
intervening and giving us this peace. In Jesus'
name we pray. Amen. Thank you for tuning in to
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